Hi everyone! My name is Carrie and I am the recipe developer, photographer and writer behind the blog Bakeaholic Mama. Rachel and I have been friends for awhile now through blogging and I was thrilled to be invited back to participate in her Apple A Day Party! Last year you might remember me making these Caramel Apple Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting for her blog. I wasn’t sure I could top those cupcakes (because they were pretty fabulous!) though this year… I think I may have. I know Rachel is a fan of fried doughnuts like I am, so I thought this was the appropriate time to pull a doughnut recipe out.

I have a love affair with doughnuts. I appreciate the perfectly fried soft warm doughnut more than most. All too often I order doughnuts from bakeries and am always disappointed. They are typically too greasy or dry because they were not served fresh or were left to left in the oil too long. I think the key to the perfect fried doughnuts is eating them almost immediately!

Cider doughnuts are popular in New England and made fresh at most apple orchards during picking season. They are traditionally cake like, fried and tossed in cinnamon and sugar. I adore simply adore them. Though I also adore a warm yeast doughnut coated in something sugary and filled with various custards or jellies.

Why not combine cider doughnuts and a soft and chewy yeast doughnut? Clearly it’s the thing to do. Breakfast is always better when it involves hot grease and buttery caramel!

Directions:

To prepare the doughnuts, start by adding cider, 1/4 cup of butter, 1/4 cup sugar and salt to a sauce pan. Heat until the butter has melted. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile in a small bowl or cup add your yeast and 2 tbs of water together. Mix together and allow to sit until foamy.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, using the dough hook, mix 1 cup of flour, apple pie spice, 1 egg, your cider mixture and your yeast together. Slowly pour in remaining flour until dough comes together and is only slightly sticky. I used between 2-3 cups total. Turn mixer on to high and "knead" for about 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Roll dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise. When the dough has doubled in size (about one hour) pour out onto a lightly floured surface.

Roll out using a rolling pin or use your hands to flatten the dough into a 1/2 inch thick circle. Using a floured biscuit cutter, cut circles out and place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet to rise until doubled in size again.

Any scraps of dough left after you are done cutting can be fried up as is, rolled into balls. Also set aside to rise.

Heat cooking oil to 375°F degrees.

Drop doughnuts in the oil no more than 3 at a time. Fry for 3 minutes flipping half way through. Remove from oil when they are golden brown. Place onto paper towels to drain access grease.

Immediately toss in cinnamon and sugar.

TO PREPARE CARAMEL:

In a heavy bottomed sauce pan on medium/high heat add sugar and heat/ whisk until the sugar has melted and becomes an amber brown color. Remove from heat and slowly stir the butter until melted.

Return to heat and cook until it reaches about 325-350 degrees (I highly recommend using a candy thermometer!)

Once it reaches the desired temperature remove from heat and slowly stir in your cream, mix until smooth. Stir in cinnamon and allow to cool to room temperature.

To fill doughnuts using a sharp knife cut a small hole though the side of the doughnut, careful not to pierce it all the way through.

Add caramel to a piping bag with a medium sized tip (I use anything I have on hand) Pipe/fill each doughnut.

Serve immediately. Recipe yields about 12-15 large doughnuts.

Carrie knows me too well! I’m obviously head over heels in love with these donuts. They’re a fun twist on a classic and a reinvention of my favorite jelly donut in a way too! Yum!! -Rachel

Hi Rachel – I’m so glad Carrie guest posted today so that I could discover your wonderful blog! These doughnuts are out of control in the best way possible. If only I didn’t live in a tiny apartment that would smell like oil for days on end – I need to make these doughnuts! Or maybe I can convince someone else to make them and I’ll be there to eat them as soon as they come out of the fryer.

Rachel — September 7th, 2013 @ 7:21 am

So glad you found me! I’m positive the smell would be worth the taste! :)

I have been baking for years. Sale a lot of my goods for catering events. I make a lot of money for my goods. I have tried to make this recipe three times and it does not work. some of my doughnuts will raise and others will not even though they are all made from the same batch of dough and the oil temp is the the same. I would not recommend this recipe at all. It sounded so good but was not worth the money, time or effort,

Rachel — October 13th, 2013 @ 8:38 am

It’s possible it was a yeast issue since you’re saying some are rising and some are not. Unfortunately without having been there to see your process I can’t be sure what could have gone wrong. Sorry to hear you had trouble.